Animal incontinence device

ABSTRACT

An animal incontinence device comprises a base layer of a liquid-impervious polymer film, an intermediate absorbent layer comprising superabsorbent polymer particles intermediate a plurality of layers of tissue, and a top layer comprising a porous, hydrophilic, woven or non-woven polymer fiber mat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/638,462, filed Dec. 22, 2004.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an animal incontinencedevice. More particularly, the invention is directed to a multi-layeredfloor pad useful for absorbing animal urine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Devices for dealing with animal incontinence are known in the art. Suchdevices generally contain an absorbent layer of fibers or cellulosepulp. These devices are ineffective for absorbing and immobilizinganimal urine, so that it is not squeezed out of the device and trackedby the animal over the floor.

It would be desirable to prepare an improved animal incontinence devicethat would absorb, contain, and immobilize the animal's urine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordant with the present invention, an animal incontinence device,that immobilizes the animal's urine, has surprisingly been discovered.It comprises a base layer of a liquid-impervious polymer film, anintermediate absorbent layer comprising superabsorbent polymer (SAP)particles intermediate a plurality of layers of tissue, and a top layercomprising a porous, hydrophilic, woven or non-woven polymer fiber mat.At least the base and top layers are sealed together at their edges, toencapsulate the intermediate layer containing the SAP.

The animal incontinence device according to the present invention isparticularly useful for absorbing the urine of an incontinent animal, tokeep the surrounding premises free from tracked urine.

DRAWINGS

The above, as well as other advantages of the present disclosure, willbecome readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description, particularly when considered in the light of thedrawing described herein.

The FIGURE is a side cross-sectional elevational view of an animalincontinence device according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention comprises a base layer of a liquid-imperviouspolymer film, an intermediate absorbent layer comprising superabsorbentpolymer (SAP) particles intermediate a plurality of layers of tissue,and a top layer comprising a porous, hydrophilic, woven or non-wovenpolymer fiber mat. At least the base and top layers are sealed togetherat their edges, to encapsulate the intermediate layer containing theSAP.

The base layer may comprise any liquid-impervious polymer film. Polymersfrom which the base layer may be prepared include, but are notnecessarily limited to, a polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene,polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyacrylonitrile,polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyolefin, polyester,polycarbonate, polyether, polyamide, and the like, as well asderivatives, blends, and copolymers thereof. Preferred base layerscomprise a polyethylene or a polypropylene. A particularly preferredpolyethylene or polypropylene base layer has a thickness ranging fromabout 0.6 to about 1.0 mil. Such polymer films are well known andcommercially available.

The intermediate layer, according to the present invention, comprisessuperabsorbent polymer (SAP) particles intermediate a plurality oflayers of tissue. Superabsorbent polymers are cross-linked networks offlexible polymer chains. The most efficient water absorbers are polymernetworks that carry dissociated ionic functional groups. SAP's work bydiffusion on the molecular level. Water diffuses into the particles ofsuperabsorbent polymer, and SAP particles swell to accommodate theadditional water molecules. Because the polymer molecules arecross-linked, they do not dissolve in the absorbed liquid. The SAPparticles are placed intermediate a plurality of layers of tissue. Anynumber of layers of tissue equal to or greater than two and up to aboutten is operable according to the present invention. Preferably, the SAPparticles are bonded between two layers of single-ply cellulosic tissue.The SAP particles may be bonded and secured to the tissue plies by theapplication of heat, pressure, and/or a bonding agent (e.g., apolyolefin powder adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, a water based ornon-water based liquid adhesive, or the like).

Preferably, the intermediate layer has a dry core with excellent SAPparticle distribution and uniformity, with a highSAP-to-total-intermediate-layer weight ratio of from about forty percent(40%) to about fifty percent (50%). A preferred intermediate layercontaining superabsorbent polymer may be obtained from GelokInternational Corporation of Dunbridge, Ohio. A particularly preferredintermediate layer may be obtained from Gelok under the productdesignation “2040 SS.”

The top layer, according to the present invention, comprises a porous,hydrophilic, woven or non-woven polymer fiber mat. The top layer maycomprise any monolithic, flexible, porous material including, but notnecessarily limited to, a non-woven or woven textile cloth or mat, asponge material, or the like. A preferred non-woven substrate generallycomprises an adhesively bonded fibrous or filamentous material having aweb or carded fiber structure, or a mat in which the fibers aredistributed either in a random fashion or in a substantially alignedmanner. The fibers or filaments generally comprise natural materials,e.g., fibers or filaments of synthetic materials, e.g., polyolefins,polyesters, rayon, cellulose esters, polyvinyl derivatives, polyamides,and the like, as well as combinations thereof. The thickness of the toplayer may vary over wide limits. A particularly preferred top layercomprises a porous, hydrophilic, spunbonded polypropylene, having aweight from about 12 to about 13.5 gsm. Such top layer materials arewell known in the industry, and are commercially available.

At least the base and top layers are sealed together at their peripheraledges, to encapsulate the intermediate layer containing the SAP. Thebase and top layers may be heat sealed together by, for example, theapplication of a heated and nip rollers to the edges of the assembledmulti-layered structure. Alternatively, the top and base layers may beadhered at their edges, by the application of a hot melt or otherappropriate adhesive intermediate the perimeters of the top and baselayers. Thus, the intermediate layer containing the SAP is effectivelyencapsulated between the top and base layers.

In an alternative embodiment, the base layer may be larger in area thanthe top layer, so that the base layer may be folded up and over thedistal edges of the top layer before sealing the assemblage. This mayimprove the fluid retention of the inventive device.

It is observed that the animal incontinence device according to thepresent invention, utilizing the intermediate layer containing thesuperabsorbent polymer, has a thickness equal to about one-third of theprior art product. This is an important feature when contemplatingshipping, storage, and use of the device.

The animal incontinence device according to the present invention mayadditionally comprise adjuvants for enhanced performance; such as forexample, fragrances or neutralizers like sodium bicarbonate. Thesematerials may be applied to any of the layers of the device, or may beadded neat to the assemblage before the top and base layers are sealed.

An illustrative embodiment according to the present disclosure is shownin the FIGURE. An animal incontinence device 2 includes a base layer 4,an intermediate absorbent layer 6, and a top layer 8. The base layer 4is formed from a liquid-impervious polymer film. The top layer 8 isformed from a porous, hydrophilic, woven or non-woven polymer fiber mat.The base layer 4 is larger in area than the top layer 8 so that at leastone of the peripheral edges, for example, a pair of opposing peripheraledges, of the base layer 4 is folded up and over at least one of theperipheral edges of the top layer 8. The animal incontinence device 2has at least one fold 12 that is formed by the folding of the peripheraledges of the base layer 4 up and over the top layer 8. The base layer 4and the top layer 8 are sealed together with an adhesive 10 andencapsulate the intermediate absorbent layer 6. The adhesive 10 isdisposed intermediate the perimeters of the top and base layers 4, 8 atthe fold 12 to seal the base and top layers 4, 8 together at theirperipheral edges.

The intermediate absorbent layer 6 consists of at least two layers ofsingle-ply tissue 14 with superabsorbent polymer particles 16 and atleast one adjuvant 18, such as at least one of a fragrance and aneutralizer, disposed therebetween. The superabsorbent polymer particles16 are bonded and secured between the at least two layers of the tissue14 by the application of at least one of heat and pressure.

In contrast to animal incontinence devices known in the art, theintermediate absorbent layer 6 consists of at least two layers ofsingle-ply tissue 14 with superabsorbent polymer particles 16 and atleast one adjuvant 18 intermediate the layers of tissue 14. Accordingly,it should be understood that the animal incontinence device 2 of thepresent disclosure is effective for absorbing, containing, andimmobilizing animal urine, The animal urine is not released from theanimal incontinence device 2 and tracked by the animal over the floorand the surrounding premises following use of the animal incontinencedevice 2.

The invention is more easily comprehended by reference to specificembodiments recited hereinabove, which are representative of theinvention. It must be understood, however, that the specific embodimentsare provided only for the purpose of illustration, and that theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustratedwithout departing from its spirit and scope.

1. An animal incontinence device, comprising: a base layer of aliquid-impervious polymer film; an intermediate absorbent layerconsisting of superabsorbent polymer particles and at least one adjuvantdisposed intermediate at least two layers of single-ply tissue, theparticles bonded and secured between the layers of tissue by theapplication of at least one of heat and pressure; and a top layercomprising a porous, hydrophilic, woven or non-woven polymer fiber mat;wherein the base and top layers are sealed together with an adhesive andencapsulate the intermediate layer with the superabsorbent polymerparticles, the base layer larger in area than the top layer so that atleast one of the peripheral edges of the base layer is folded up andover the peripheral edges of the top layer, the adhesive disposedintermediate the perimeters of the top and base layers to seal the baseand top layers together at their peripheral edges.
 2. The animalincontinence device according to claim 1, wherein the base layercomprises polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyacrylate,polymethacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylacetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyolefin, polyester, polycarbonate,polyether, polyamide, or a derivative, blend, or copolymer thereof. 3.The animal incontinence device according to claim 1, wherein the baselayer comprises polyethylene or a polypropylene.
 4. The animalincontinence device according to claim 1, wherein the base layer has athickness ranging from about 0.6 to about 1.0 mil.
 5. The animalincontinence device according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layercomprises from two to ten layers of tissue.
 6. The animal incontinencedevice according to claim 1, wherein the tissue includes a single-plycellulosic tissue.
 7. The animal incontinence device according to claim1, wherein the intermediate layer comprises from about 40 to about 50weight percent superabsorbent particles.
 8. The animal incontinencedevice according to claim 1, wherein the top layer comprises a woven ornon-woven, adhesively bonded fibrous mat.
 9. The animal incontinencedevice according to claim 8, wherein the top layer fibers comprisepolyolefin, polyester, rayon, cellulose ester, a polyvinyl derivative,polyamide, or a combination thereof.
 10. The animal incontinence deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the top layer comprises a porous,hydrophilic, spunbonded polypropylene, having a weight from about 12 toabout 13.5 gsm.
 11. The animal incontinence device according to claim 1,wherein the particles are bonded and secured by the application of heat,pressure, and water.
 12. The animal incontinence device according toclaim 1, wherein the at least one adjuvant includes a fragrance and aneutralizer.